The Line of the Dunedain
by Ranger of the Dunedain
Summary: The stories told from the POV of Elladan, Elrohir, Aragorn, and Halbarad. Rated T for language, violence. Please R and R!
1. Chapter 1

The line of the Dunedain.

Chapter one

Gray fog rolled over an already gray dawn. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, or Estel as the elves called him, heir of Isiuldur, chieftain of the Dunedain, stood upon the cliffs of Arnor. He stood amongst the ruins of what was once the great tower of Armon'syl , built by the kings of Arnor of old. All that was left now was a group of scattered rocks and chunks of buildings.

Aragorn had shoulder length black hair and gray eyes. His face was fine. He was just twenty and two years of age. .Aragorn was garbed as a ranger of the Dunedain. He was clad in a gray cloak and hood. He wore a leather tunic over a shirt of mail, under which he wore a plain black shirt. He wore plain breeches and bracers and greaves. Strapped to his back were a sturdy bow and a quiver of arrows. A hand-and-a-half sword was belted to his waist opposite a foot long dagger. In his hand he clutched a six foot spear.

Below him, on a hill, was an orc. The stout, bowlegged creature was running. He stopped to catch his breath, leaning on a spear made of a fire hardened stake. He wore a rusty helm with a face guard and a spike on the top. He wore a surcoat of mail slightly to long for him, its former shining glory diminished by a coat of rust. Mismatched shoulder plates rested on his shoulders and a rusty knife was belted to his waist. On one arm, he bore a black buckler crudely painted with a bloodstained sword.

"An orc," Aragorn said. "Down on the hill."

"Where?" Aragorn's cousin, Halbarad, appeared from behind a boulder. He had black hair and gray eyes, like Aragorn. He was four-teen years older than Aragorn, but they were good friends nonetheless. He too wore a gray cloak, leather tunic, mail, undershirt, breeches, bracers, and greaves. A leather and iron cap rested upon his head. A bow, quiver, and dagger were belted to his waist opposite a shortsword. He too carried a spear.

"There," Aragorn pointed.

"Now I see him," Halbarad said, stringing his bow. "I could shoot him from here."

"Nay," Elrohir, son of Elrond, emerged from the ruins. He was tall, with deep brown hair that hung down his back. He wore a deep blue cloak and a leather surcoat sewn with gold enameled plates over a pale purple tunic. His cloak was clasped with a golden star broach and he wore a silver circlet upon his brow. Strapped to his back was a bow and quiver. The bow was recurved in the center and the arrows fletched with swan feathers. Belted to his waist was a sword of typical elvish make, with an elegantly curving blade and a two handed leather grip. He also wore a dagger and in his hand he held a long lance with a long curved blade. "For we have been tracking orcs, have we not?"

"Aye," said Aragorn. Orcs had been gathering into large war bands under the command of Buhrdur, troll chieftain. He had somehow managed to gain intelligence and cunning, more than could be said for others of his race. He had been growing in power and collecting an army of all manner of foul creatures. Trolls, orcs, wargs, all were answering to Buhrdur's call. "And since orcs like to travel in groups-"

"This one could lead us to the others," Halbarad realized, putting away his bow.

"Aye," Said Elladan, emerging from behind his twin brother. They looked exactly the same, down to their armor and weapons. "He could be a scout or a vanguard."

"So if we follow him," Aragorn said. "Then he may lead us to the main group."

"We'll have to start soon," Halbarad commented, saddling his bay stallion. "He's getting away."

They saddled their horses and set out after the orc. They made sure to keep to the trees and bushes, should the orc happen to glance back and see them. The four kept relatively quiet, though they were far out of the range of the orc's poor earshot.

The sun rose, but was quickly covered by gray clouds. The orc kept running until noon, when he stopped to catch his breath. The trackers stopped too and ate sparingly from their saddle bags, for they had no time to hunt.

They were silent for a few hours, then Halbarad broke the silence.

"What is Rivendell like?"

"Why do you ask?" Elrohir questioned.

"Just curious."

"The halls and archways are decorated with golden and silver vines. The elegant spires have big glass windows, from which many elves study the stars. Many statues of great heroes are built in the city," Elrohir said.

"And the gardens are full of plants and trees of all sorts. Flowers of every color bloom year round, as do the fruit trees. Surrounding the city is a forest of birch and oak. When the sun is at its brightest, it shines down through the leaves, showering the ground below in a beautiful golden light," Elladan added.

"Aye," said Aragorn. "Once I was walking in those woods, singing of fair Luthein Tunuviel. When, all of a sudden, a maiden of the likeness of Luthein appeared before me. Little did I know, but she was Lady Arawen Evenstar. There is nay a more beautiful woman under the stars."

Elrohir and Elladan exchanged knowing looks. Aragorn looked dazed, as though a diamond had just fallen into his palm.

"What about lothlorien?" Halbarad asked.

"Great towering trees," Elrohir said. Amongst their branches are built a silver city."

"And the walls sparkle with many crystals embedded in the silver," Elladan said.

"And there dwells the lady Galadriel, Arawen's grandmother. Often, Lady Arawen walks among the trees of her mother's land. She is fair enough to claim any man's heart."

"Is she really that beautiful?" Halbarad asked.

"More than any other women I have ever seen," Aragorn said. "When I first met her, I believed her to be luthein of the tales of old. Her face is fair and her lips are full and red. Her long black lashes hang over her shining eyes. Her midnight locks are held in a net of diamonds, shining like stars. When I first saw her, she was wearing an emerald green dress that trailed behind her. A belt f moonstones was clasped around her beautiful waist. And-"

Elrohir cleared his throat loudly, sharply ending the conversation.

"I fear that while Aragorn waxes philosophical about my sister, the orc we are tracking is getting away," Elladan pointed. The orc was a mere black speck clambering up a hill.

Aragorn blushed and spurred his horse, who had slowed.

As evening fell, they saw the orc clamber down into a rocky ravine. They followed him, being careful not to hurt their horses on the rocky slope. They followed the orc down the ravine until it widened out and a stream ran across it. The orc clambered across the stream using a dead tree that had fallen across the water. The Dunedain merely rode their horses through. Then the ravine ended in a dense copse of trees and they saw an orc camp in the distance.

There were thirty of them, including the scout. The sat around a large bonfire, eating and arguing. They carried a motley collection of weaponry; including spears, shields, bows, slings, axes, pikes, maces, flails, and blades of all sorts as well as stakes, scythes, and a host of improvised weaponry. Their armor, if they had any, was rusty and mismatched and often too small or too large. Planted next to the fire was a pike with a black banner depicting the emblem of a blazing skull crossed with bloody swords.

"Definitely headed to join Buhrdur," Halbarad said, pointing to the banner. He strung his bow, testing its strength.

"Aye," said Aragorn, stringing his own bow. "What do we do? Attack or return to Alberoan to get reinforcements?'

"You're the chieftain," Elladan said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You should decide."

"Yes…but you're older than me," Aragorn protested.

"But you are Dunedain," Elrohir said. "Therefore you shall live just as long as I."

"If we leave," Aragorn said. "They'll definitely be gone by the time we get back."

"Then it makes good sense to attack now," Elrohir said. "As long as we keep to the shadows and snipe at them, we can weaken them enough that they will scatter and we can destroy them one by one."

"Agreed," Elladan said. Both elves strung their bows.

Elladan took aim and shot the orc scout through his throat. Panic erupted through the orc camp. They yelled and grabbed their weapons.

Aragorn rode around a boulder and shot another orc in it's heart. One orc strung his bow, dodging an arrow fired by Halbarad. It fired in Aragorn's direction, the shaft bouncing off the boulder. A second arrow buried itself in the dirt near the hoof of Aragorn's horse. Halbarad shot two more orcs in quick succession and yet another fell to Elrohir's arrows.

Minus five of their comrades, the orcs charged at where their attackers were shooting from. The Dunedain rode around through the trees to the place the orcs had previously been and fired, three arrows slaying their targets and a fourth bouncing off of a shield. Then the Dunedain split forces and Aragorn and Halbarad rode around in front of the orcs and took shelter behind a broken stone wall while the elves took up positions at the orcs' backs.

The orcs gathered together in a circle, eyes darting around, looking for their assailants.

Silence.

The orcs fidgeted nervously.

Aragorn and Halbarad fired their arrows, one of the shafts piercing an archer's leather surcoat, the second wounding an orc in the leg. Two orc archers notched arrows to their strings, but were felled by Elladan and Elrohir before they could shoot.

Aragorn saw a particularly burly orc in a metal breastplate wielding a heavy wooden club grab an archer by the arm and shout at him.

_He must be the leader, _Aragorn though as the archer nodded franticly and drew an arrow from his quiver.

Halbarad leapt and fired, his arrow piercing the leader's neck. The orc's steel collar blocked most of the shot, but the arrow still pierced the skin, sending a fountain of blood spouting from his throat. He roared and grabbed the archer's bow, firing an arrow which bounced off a tree branch by Aragorn's ear.

Aragorn Fired a shaft the struck the orc just below the knee. He roared then yelled as an arrow from Elrohir dented his shoulder plate. Elladan's shaft struck his club. Halbarad fired, missing by a few inches. He cursed and fired again, this time piercing the orc leader's wrist. Aragorn's second arrow struck the orc's foot, pinning it to the ground. The Halbarad shot him through the eye. He fell to the ground in a pool of blood.

The orc's scattered and fled, yelling and shrieking, two of Elrohir and Elladan's arrows wounding them as they fled.

The Dunedain rode out into the open, watching as the orcs melded in with the trees and rocks. Twelve orcs, including the leader, lay dead.

"We'll have to track the rest down tomorrow," Elladan said. "There's at least eight-teen still out there."

"Why bother," Halbarad said. "What's a mere eight-teen cowardly orcs to us?"

"Eight-teen cowardly orcs who will plunder, loot, pillage, and murder," Elrohir said. "An enemy force, no matter how small, is always a threat. Never turn your back on even the most paltry force."

"If we ride through the night, we can catch them by dawn," Aragorn said. "Although it would mean we would miss out on sleep."

"Aye,' said Elladan. "Better to catch them tomorrow, when we are well rested and replenished in strength. Then it shall be far easier to track them."


	2. Chapter 2

The line of the Dunedain

Chapter 2

They set out at dawn. The sun was hidden by full black clouds that promised torrents of rain. Soon, a drizzle started up. Rain was bad as it would wash away tracks. They went faster, hoping they would catch up to the orcs before the storm struck.

The orcs weren't particularly hard to track. Their iron shod boots and scabby feet made deep prints in the soil. Often, Aragorn and his companions would find places where the orcs had hacked aside the undergrowth to get through, or merely trampled it underfoot.

They made good time and the rain held out until midday. Then it began to pour down in torrents, washing out all but the deepest foot prints.

They rode faster, but knew that finding the orcs now would be very difficult. Soon, the came upon a deep and rocky ravine. The rain poured down in torrents, soaking them to the bone.

The remaining tracks split at the ravine, some leading away into a copse of pine trees.

Aragorn dismounted, as did Elrohir, and examined the tracks. It was difficult to tell, but it seemed like half of the orcs had gone into the forest and the other half down the ravine.

Elladan's brow furrowed when he was told what they had seen. "Why would the split their forces? They'll be muck weaker now."

"Perhaps they hope that we shall also be weaker if we are divided," Halbarad said. "For to hunt both parties, we shall have to split and go different ways."

"True," Aragorn said. "Two of us against nine of them will be more difficult than four of us against eighteen of them."

"Only slightly," Elrohir answered.

"But how will we find each other again?" Halbarad asked.

Elladan and his brother exchanged looks.

Aragorn knew that the twins could sense each other's presence wherever they were at any time. He also knew that they hated to be separated from each other.

""Well…I'm sure me and Halbarad will be fine on our own," He said.

Both elves turned and said at the same time and said "No."

"I feel is if it would be inviting chaos and mishap, no offense meant," Elrohir said.

"That settled, I'll take Halbarad and track that way," Elladan pointed at the pine copse.

"And I shall take Aragorn and track down the ravine," Elrohir said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is just a filler chapter, the next chapter is much longer.


	3. Chapter 3

The Line of the Dunedain

Chapter 3

Halbarad angrily rammed weed into his pipe.

It was the day after they'd split forces, Aragorn and Elrohir going one way, Halbarad and Elladan going the other. They'd lost they orcs' trail the previous night, the already faint tracks obliterated by rain. Now they were tracking in the direction they _guessed _the orcs had taken. Orcs being lazy creatures, it was probable they took the easiest route possible, so that was the one Halbarad and Elladan were taking also.

Rain had collected in the pine boughs and now it dripped down upon the Dunedain tracking below. The constant drip was wearing on Halbarad's nerves, making him increasingly annoyed.

Elladan wrinkled his nose at the smoke from the pipe. "I don't see why you humans smoke that, it really smells disgusting."

Halbarad snorted, then jabbed his spear into the ground. "Good luck trying to track anything in this accursed forest," He said.

Elladan dismounted and bent to examine a crushed plant. "All hope is not yet lost. The sun is the best luck that could come our way now. Orcs hate sunlight, and these orcs have been traveling hard. The combined strength of exhaustion and sunlight should slow them down tremendously."

A drop of water fell into Halbarad's pipe, snuffing it out. He swore and relit it with his flint.

"Do not befoul the air," Elladan said, pulling himself back onto his white stallion, Folvir.

The rode on, stopping occasionally to examine prints and tracks, none of which belonged to orcs. They were finally pointed in the right direction when Halbarad spotted a long gash on a tree thirty feet to his left. Intrigued, he turned his bay stallion, Eveldar, around and rode toward it. The gash was about a foot long and a quarter inch deep, and reasonably fresh. It was five feet up the trunk, at about the level an orc would stand

"That looks like a sword mark," Halbarad said, pointing to it.

Elladan rode over to him. "Could have been a wild cat," he said. "They often use trees as scratching posts."

"Aye," Halbarad said. "But if it were a wild cat, there would be four or five gashes, not one."

"True," Elladan said. "We could follow this trail for a time, and see if it yields any results."

They did follow the trail, and soon came upon the remnants of a ruined town. Only a six foot piece of the palisade still stood, the rest had been reduced to wood chips and mud crusted bits of rope. A few ruined walls were scattered about, overgrown with moss and ivy. Halbarad saw some abandoned wells as well as half of a mill wheel.

In the center, there was a large pile of fresh ash and charred wood. Someone had started a camp fire recently. Not far away lay a three foot pine branch that had all the bark and needles shaved off and a point carved on the end. It had been charred with fire, probably used as a spit. A second spit lay half buried in ash and Halbarad could see tooth and claw marks on booth spits. Bits of fur and bones lay scattered around the ash pile.

"They camped here," Elladan said. "These ashes are about four hours old. They managed to catch something, a deer, by the looks of that antler. They can't be more than a few hours away."

With rekindled hope, they set off in the direction the orcs had taken.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the late afternoon when the sun began to peek through the clouds, and Halbarad hoped that even the weak light would slow the orcs.

It did.

Halbarad heard a branch snap. He froze, hand on his sword hilt.

Silently, he and Elladan dismounted and crept towards the noise. The looked through a clump of bracken and saw a party of nine orcs walking in the shade of a cliff, trying to shield themselves from the sun. Silently, the Dunedain crept back to their horses.

"Right," Elladan murmured. "We can use their aversion to sunlight to our advantage. I'll stay here and shoot, and you ride around behind them and shoot about five or six times, then we'll both charge."

Halbarad rode around behind the orc party and strung his bow. His shot pierced the back of an orc's leather gambeson. It shrieked and fell, blood spouting from the fatal wound in his back.

The orcs spun around in surprise. One orc strung its bow and knocked a shaft, then gurgled and fell, one Elladan's white fletched shaft protruding from its neck. A second white fletched arrow pierced another orc's hip, wounding him. They yelled and charged towards Halbarad.

One of Halbarad's arrows struck an orc below its knee. It stumbled and fell, a second arrow piercing its throat.

Elladan rode out of the trees, slaying an orc with his lance. Realizing that only five of them remained alive, the orcs froze. Two orcs broke ranks and fled, Elladan wounding one with his lance.

Halbarad charged forward and thrust his spear at a rusted spot on the orc's breastplate. The spear broke through the weakened metal but didn't piece the orc's skin. The orc twisted and pulled itself free from the spear and thrust at Halbarad with his pike. Halbarad swerved in his saddle to avoid the thrust, then stabbed downward with his spear. It struck the breastplate and slid off, slashing the orc's arm from shoulder to elbow.

The orc howled and grabbed Halbarad's foot, then kicked Eveldar's ankles. The horse reared and flung Halbarad from his saddle. He hit the ground with a dull thud that jarred his teeth.

The orc leapt upon him. Throwing aside its pike, it pulled out a dagger and stabbed at Halbarad's throat. Halbarad raised his hand to block the blow, wincing as the dagger cut through his pitch treated leather bracer. He clenched his other fist and punched the orc and the gut. It gasped and dropped its dagger.

Halbarad took his chance and grabbed his spear haft, twisting it upward and striking the orc's sternum. It struck the breastplate with a clang, knocking the orc over onto his back. Halbarad sprang to his feet and held his spear outward with both hands, prepared to fight.

The orc struggled to its feet, drawing a second dagger from its boot. It charged Halbarad, pausing only to snatch its other dagger from the ground. It yelled and hacked at Halbarad with the first dagger. Halbarad blocked the blow with his spear. He twisted and ducked another blow, then stabbed with his spear, the point slashing the orc's leg. He blocked two more dagger blows, then the orc feinted and grabbed Halbarad's spear. It swung its other hand at Halbarad, dagger gleaming in the sun. Halbarad just managed to duck the blow, the dagger clipping a hair off his chin.

He yelled and yanked on his spear, then twisted it and swung it and the orc through the air. The orc yelled and let go, slamming into the cliff wall. Halbarad was about to finish him off when he heard Elladan cry out.

Elladan had been fighting two orcs at once. He had a gash on his face and a second on his shoulder. One of the orcs had struck Elladan's shoulder with its pick.

Halbarad rushed to his friend's aid, stabbing one orc in the upper leg with his spear. Elladan parried a sword blow, then hewed the head off of the other orc's pick. The orc tossed aside his broken weapon and slammer his round shield into Halbarad's hand, dislocating two fingers. It knocked the spear from Halbarad's hand and pulled a hammer from its belt. Halbarad blinked away tears of pain and drew his sword, blocking a hammer blow.

Elladan ducked a blow from a wicked looking sabre and slashed the orc's legs. Sparks flew from Halbarad's sword as it clashed with the steel hammer head. He hacked at the orc's chest, but his blow was blocked by the shield. The orc yelled and swung his hammer, Halbarad only barely managing to parry the blow.

Elladan was exchanging a flurry of blows with the other orc. Frustrated, the orc slammed its square shield into Elladan's sword hand. Elladan yelped and kicked his opponent in the gut, then hacked, his blow taking a chip out of the sabre.

The orc Halbarad was fighting swung his hammer at Halbarad's head. Halbarad ducked and struck the orc a blow on its shoulder, severing its shield arm. It howled and Halbarad beheaded it.

The previously dazed orc lunged at Elladan, but missed. The sabre wielding orc seemed to realize the fight was over for him and he ducked under Elladan's sword. It ran, pausing only to snatch its fallen comrade's hammer from the ground. The other orc hit Halbarad's shins with his pike, tripping him. His sword fell from his sword and the orc kicked it away. It raised its pike to stab Halbarad's throat. Elladan's sword severed the Orc's throat, slicing the pike in half. The orc fell dead upon the ground.

Elladan helped Halbarad to his feet. "You alright?"

"Fine," Halbarad said. "But he's getting away!"

They charged after the escaping orc, who was clambering down a cliffside not far away. It jumped to the ground just as Elladan and Halbarad reached the cliff's summit. A river rushed below, bridged only by a dead log. The orc clambered onto the bridge.

Halbarad swore and began to draw his bow, wincing as the effort hurt his dislocated fingers. The orc moved quicker, throwing the hammer through the air. It struck Halbarad's side, shattering the half drawn bow and the metal beak punching through the skin on his side.

Blood blossomed on Halbarad's side, He clenched his hand around the wound, warm blood flowing between his injured fingers, staining his shirt and tunic. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he passed out.


End file.
